


Country Nights and Carnival Lights

by Starkurt



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Never Met, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-09
Updated: 2016-07-09
Packaged: 2018-07-22 14:05:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7442110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starkurt/pseuds/Starkurt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Needing to clear his mind after his previously planned night completely falls apart, Kurt finds himself driving to the town's carnival, where he makes an unusual connection with an employee.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Country Nights and Carnival Lights

**Author's Note:**

> An older one shot, posted for a Kurtofsky event on Tumblr for gallavichisforever.

Kurt wasn't sure why exactly he'd driven anywhere but home, and he especially wasn't sure why he'd driven to the county fair, of all places.

It’d been a day of extremes for him, from starting out the morning as a happy, amorous boyfriend, to heading almost straight into a hate fueled, disgusted, heartbrokenly single evening. At the moment, everything in the middle seemed irrelevant to his current soap-opera of a day. All he knew was that he’d just spent the last hour driving around, pushing back previous tears and replacing them with sheer anger, and disbelief. Kurt had needed an escape, and for whatever reason, his subconscious had brought him to a parking lot full of abandoned water bottles, more traffic cones than perhaps actually needed, and half asleep toddlers being shuffled out by exhausted parents.

As Kurt exited his car, he was immediately assaulted with about forty different smells, and three hundred different noises, all of which were more of a pain than the last. Screams of joy (though more likely, terror) echoed through the lot, and a myriad of popular music was being blasted over various speakers. Though he could only see a few from where he stood, rides stood tall, each looking more terrifyingly fragile than the next, the sharp clang of cheap metal confirming this. Kurt assumed he was going to have some sort of sensory overload.

It was the distraction he needed.

Making his way to the entrance, he was thankful there was no line, due to him coming as others were just beginning to leave. The woman running security check gave him a nod as he passed, though he hadn’t even been aware of her presence in the first place. Once inside, he took a moment to adjust to his new surrounds before turning to head for the ticket booth.

Thankful again for his late arrive, Kurt simply slinked through the small maze of bars just as a group of middle schoolers were walking away, tickets in hand. Reaching the counter, Kurt barely acknowledged the boy (man?) standing there as he glanced behind him, trying to read the various prices.

“A wristband,” he said after a moment, reaching for his wallet. He quickly pulled out a few bills --far too many, for his liking -- and set them on the counter, finally bothering to make eye contact.

The boy, Kurt now realized, couldn’t be much older than himself, if he even was. He was tall and stocky, with short brown curls that Kurt would have loved if he wasn’t so immediately reminded of He Who Must Not Be Named. His nose wrinkled.

However, the boy raised an eyebrow, making a point to look over Kurt’s shoulder.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'm alone. Are you planning on murdering me now, or can I get my wristband to at least enjoy myself for a few rides before you pull me behind the Gravitron?"

The boy at the counter simply looked amused, tearing off a wristband and sliding it to Kurt. Kurt gave a huff of annoyance before grabbing the band, turning away after a sarcastic thank you. He heard the boy laugh as he walked away, which sent a prickle of frustration down his spine. Thankfully, his common sense beat his urge to start anything with the stranger, and he continued walking towards the fray.

He was almost immediately drawn towards a small building advertising funnel cakes, among various other junk. As he slipped his wristband on, Kurt stepped into the unfortunate line and began looking over the small menu board above his head. Before he could decide, he felt someone step up just behind him.

“Don’t think I’ve seen anybody get food so quick,” a voice broke, full of amusement. Kurt turned to look over his shoulder, and immediately turned back to the menu.

"What, did my murderer joke have some truth to it?"

The ticket boy laughed, taking a step forward so he was inline with Kurt. “My shift was over twenty minutes ago.”

“So you missed out on twenty minutes of creeping up on random customers?” Kurt deadpanned, mulling over two choices of sodas.

Another laugh, this time more of a chuckle. “Twenty minutes of being starved,” the boy replied. Kurt ignored him, stepping forward as the counter attendant called him up.

“Could I get a Diet Coke?” he said, reaching once again for his wallet. As the lady asked if that was all, Kurt opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off.

“And a bag of Lays?”

Kurt turned, about to tell the boy off as a five dollar bill was suddenly pushed past him, and onto the counter. He made a face, but held his tongue. The boy just smirked.

After a moment, Kurt’s cup was handed to him, as well as the bag of chips. He handed the bag off to his assumed future murderer, and turned to leave. Jeffrey Dahmer followed, much to Kurt’s distaste.

The chip bag was torn open beside him, and Kurt found himself groaning, though kept in the direction of a small table. Slipping onto one side, the other boy wasted no time in sliding across from him.

Kurt squinted, earning a teasing squint back.

“Seriously?” Kurt asked bitterly. “Don’t you have somewhere better to be? I’m honestly not in the mood to be mocked.”

The boy looked genuinely looked taken aback for a moment, which confused Kurt further.

“I’m not mocking you,” he said, his face now neutral as he reached for a chip. “I’m stuck in a shitty booth for three hours every night. You see a whole bunch of different people. You, I just got curious about,” he finished, popping a chip into his mouth.

Kurt’s confusion only grew. “Because I’m gay?”

The boy coughed, nearly choking on the few chips he’d managed to slip in as Kurt spoke. It took a moment for him to recover, but when he did, his face contorted as he obviously tried to hold back a smile. “Because you’re alone, but hey, good for you. Looks like we already have something in common.”

That surprised Kurt. “Really?” was all he managed, a brow raised as he watched the other boy seemingly inhale chips. The boy nodded, though it was more of a short jerk of the head. Even in the crappy lighting of the surroundings, Kurt could see a small blush forming on the boy’s cheeks.

They sat in silence for a moment, Kurt studying the other boy as he sipped through his straw. He wouldn’t have taken the boy to be gay; besides the suspiciously neat eyebrows, he screamed typical meathead. He reminded Kurt of ninety percent of the jocks from when he was in high school, and silently wondering just how many of his previous tormentors might have been hiding something behind their heteronormative ways.

Kurt had barely finished half of his soda as the boy finished off his chips, crumpling the bag and tossing it with ease into a nearby bin. Basketball, maybe? His thoughts were interrupted as the boy spoke again.

“So, Diet Coke,” the boy said, staring blankly at Kurt. “Why the wristband when no friends?”

Kurt rolled his eyes again. “Kurt, actually.”

“Wha- Oh. Dave.”

“Is that a family name?”

The boy tilted his head, pausing in confusion. “Dave?”

“No, What-Oh,” Kurt said, allowing himself a smirk.

They boy-- or Dave, Kurt supposed-- looked confused for a few moments before his eyes lit up, and he cracked a small grin.

Kurt stared for a moment, holding back a laugh. Which… was weird. “I had a less than stellar day,” he said quickly, wanting to avoid any details. As if he didn’t feel awkward enough talking to a stranger, he certainly didn’t want to return to his rotten mood. “I didn’t want to go home, so I came here. It was last minute”

That seemed like enough for Dave, though Kurt could see him wondering what exactly he was missing. Thankfully, he didn’t pry, and instead gave a shrug. “Alright. Hurry up and finish so we can go.”

“Pardon?” Kurt stammered. He had no intention on sharing his evening with anyone remotely familiar, let alone someone who’d so abruptly forced themselves into his life.

Another amused grin met his own stunned look. “You need to hang out with someone. Pretty sure it’s a rule somewhere for the fair.”

“And why’s that?”

"Because you'll look fucking stupid riding alone,” Dave answered, turning gesturing behind him. Closest to them, there was a Zipper, which honestly made Kurt’s stomach turn at the sight of it.

“Take the Zipper for example,” he continued, completely unaware of Kurt’s looks of disbelief. “The whole point is to get the cars spinning. No one can do that alone, and it’s not half as fun when you don’t have someone to torment. Plus when it’s over, who are you going to share that excitement and adrenaline with?”

When he turned back, his grin persisted to exist, despite the face Kurt was pulling. Kurt couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Was this guy seriously trying to convince Kurt to hang out with him? He wasn’t even someone Kurt had gone to school with, let alone someone Kurt was even aware lived in the town. He still didn’t even know if he was being Orphan-ed, and this guy was secretly forty years old and in the works of luring him to his untimely death.

Either way, Dave sat across from him, waiting for a response. Kurt just stared at him, his mind both racing and completely blank at the same time as he struggled to form some sort of coherent sentence. After a moment, he just decided to scoff, taking a last sip at his drink.

“Fine,” he said, pushing himself up and away from the table. Dave didn’t move at first, and Kurt wondered if the boy had even been serious. Finally, he stood up as well, slipping out from his bench as Kurt turned to throw his cup away. He turned back, his arms crossed. “So? Where to?”

Dave gave a gesture, and started walking, leaving Kurt to rush after him. They fell in step as they made their way through a few exiting groups, careful to avoid carelessly flung inflatable hammers and giant stuffed pandas. Eventually they broke through, finding themselves in front of the line for a smaller version of a Top Spin.

“Weak stomach?” Dave asked, turning to face Kurt. Kurt simply shook his head, and pushed past Dave to enter the line. There was still a group currently being flipped on the giant arm, so there was a small group of people waiting for the next turn. He felt Dave step up behind him as he watched the ride.

Kurt leaned against the thin metal railing, his arms crossed. “Are you from around here?” he said after a moment, still focused on the ride. It was a weak shot at small talk, but if he was going to spend his evening with a stranger, he might as well get a bit more comfortable.

Dave had nodded, but Kurt obviously hadn’t seen it. “I grew up in Lima, so I’m back here while I’m out for summer. I go to Columbia, up in Chicago.”

At that, Kurt turned around, interested. “Did you go to McKinley?” he asked, trying his hardest to remember if he had actually seen the boy before.

“No,” Dave said quickly, looking past Kurt at the ride, which was slowly coming to a stop. “I almost did, but my mom put me in private school when I started junior high.”

Kurt made a face. “Dalton?”

The line began to move as people were slowly exiting the ride, so the two were forced to move. Kurt heard Dave laugh under his breath behind him as he walked. “Nah, St. James. Can’t meet a nice Catholic girl at an all boy’s school.”

Kurt glanced back at him quizzically, wondering if he’d heard what he said correctly. Dave just shrugged, and made a motion for Kurt to keep moving. They showed their wristbands to the line runner, and were ushered into seats. Kurt pulled himself into one, while Dave moved into the one right of him. The seats were comfortable for the initial carnival-quality feel of the ride, leaving Kurt pleasantly surprised as he was locked in.

He turned to look over at Dave, who sat looking content, watching as people walked past them below the raised ride platform. Kurt studied the boys face, wondering back to the earlier comment. Did his parents not know he was gay? Had they known and been in denial? The thought of the latter disgusted Kurt, and stories of “pray-the-gay-away” camps flooded his mind. Thankfully, his train of thought was interrupted as the ride creaked to a start, and he faced back forward, his feet leaving the ground.

It was only a matter of moments before the group was sent spinning head over heels, the ground seemingly in a different direction every second. Kurt hadn’t planned to scream, but after a moment stalled in the air turned into a sudden flip, he let out a short surprised yelp, earning a now familiar laugh from his right. After that, Kurt actually found himself laughing for the final minute, before the ride finally came to a stop.

As they were lowered, Kurt grinned, and turned to his ride partner. The boy had a matching smile, and gave Kurt an “I told you so” look, to which Kurt gave a playful glare. It took a moment for them to be released, but after they were Kurt followed Dave through the exit, before moving to walk beside him.

“How long have you been out?” Kurt asked, unsure if it was a touchy subject or not. A child suddenly ran between them, causing the two to have to duck apart for a moment. They both stepped back towards the other, causing them to brush arms. Kurt quickly moved away, though was unable to avoid a small prickle of embarrassment.

They continued walking in silence for a few more seconds, and as Kurt watched the ground, he wondered if he had pressed too much. As he opened his mouth to apologize, however, Dave spoke.

“Six months,” he said, and Kurt looked up, his eyes wide. For how comfortable Dave had been earlier, cracking jokes and speaking openly, he would have assumed the boy had been out longer. He watched as the boy bit his lip, looking more in thought than distress. “I’ve known longer, but that’s when I was outed.”

Kurt stopped walking, feeling his heart sink. Dave glanced back before stopping and turning around to face him, looking confused.

Fumbling for words, Kurt’s shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.” All Dave gave was a shrug.

“You didn’t do it. It’s fine,” he said flatly, but Kurt noticed a small twitch in his calm expression. Dave must have realized Kurt noticed, as he suddenly gave a weak smile. Kurt was unconvinced, but already felt as if he’d been too invasive (which honestly, was ironic given their meeting), so he gestured for them to continue walking.

They walked in an uncomfortable silence for a bit, before coming up to the area designated for typical carnival games, one in particular catching Kurt’s eye. Dave seemed to still be walking to somewhere else, so Kurt reached out, tapping the boy’s arm. He turned to face Kurt, looking questioning, and the two stopped walking.

“Sorry,” Kurt apologized, then pointed to the particular booth he’d seen. “Mind if I take a detour?”

Dave looked over and back, raising an eyebrow in amusement. “Sure thing.”

They walked over to the booth Kurt had singled out-- a shooting gallery. Despite his general improvement of mood, Kurt couldn’t resist getting out some of his submerged anger, and what a better target than the typical “picture their face” cliché.

As Kurt moved towards the open gun, the girl running the booth smiled up at him from where she was standing off to the side, talking to who Kurt assumed was a friend. She gave the girl a wave before ducking over to where Kurt was waiting. As she noticed Dave standing behind him, her grin grew. Kurt had missed this, having been reaching for his wallet to pay for his turn. As he looked up, holding out the few dollars, the girl shook her head, and gave him a wink. “Cute boys get the first round free.”

Kurt eyed her, unsure of what to make of it, but thanked her nonetheless. She continued looking between him and Dave as he positioned himself with the gun, but he ignored her, preoccupied in preparing himself. Dave chuckled from behind him. The girl gave a heads-up warning to Kurt before hitting a switch below the counter, triggering the targets in the back to begin moving.

The game didn’t last long at all, as Kurt fired off, hitting every target as it passed. It wasn’t necessarily hard-- usually carnival games seemed rigged against your odds, but when each target was replaced with a smug face, or unanswered text messages, or two interlocked, naked bodies on your boyfriend’s bed, one of which belonging to your boyfriend, they weren’t difficult to miss.

As the game buzzed to a stop, Kurt stalled at the gun for a moment before standing up, his jaw tensed. He looked over at the girl, who looked absolutely stunned. That sent a spark of pride through Kurt, and he turned around, only to see Dave with a similar expression.

“Well,” the girl said, sounding almost breathless. She gestured above them, to a collection of stuffed animals. “You can pick the bear or the dog. Or any of the smaller ones, if you want.”

Kurt gazed over the prizes. They all looked cheap, but he figured if he was going to settle with the quality, he might as well go big. Pointing to one of the bears, he smiled. “Could I get that brown bear?” The girl nodded, and stood to get it down for him. As she did, Kurt turned back to Dave, who’s face hadn’t changed much since when he’d first finished.

He shot him a smirk before turning back, thanking the girl as he took the bear. He then nodded to the counter as he moved to step away, making sure to point out the bills he’d left. She glanced at them for a moment before looking back up at him, and sent him off with a smile and a wave.

Kurt and Dave moved away from the booth, now accompanied by a large bear tucked under Kurt’s arm.

“Maybe I should have gone smaller,” he said as they made there way back in their initial direction. He could only imagine how dirty the toy would get by the end of the night, wondering if it was possible to ask for a bag anywhere.

“You going to explain what the hell caused you to go Annie Oakley on those targets?” Dave asked suddenly, staring at Kurt in wonder. It was said teasingly, though Kurt could hear the truth behind it.

Kurt collected his thoughts, wondering just how much he was ready to get into, and if he even wanted to get into it in the first place. Then again, maybe talking to a stranger would help it settle better? Earlier, Kurt had absolutely no plans to speak to anyone about what happened tonight, or even this weekend, but perhaps it was best to get out his thoughts as they were still raw.

“I’ll try to spare you the details,” he started, adjusting the bear, “but it was a break up. I was going to surprise my boyfriend tonight, because we had been distant for the past two weeks. He apparently had other plans, because when I showed up to his house, he was with someone else.”

Dave said nothing from beside him.

“It’s funny though,” he continued. “I always had my doubts. We were in love, but sometimes he would say things, or do things that made me wonder. And I just thought it was me.” Kurt let out a small laugh, which sounded more forced than he’d intended, and it didn’t get rid of the sudden weight in his chest.

It was true, what he said. The two of them had fallen in love quickly, though it had been obvious from the start that Kurt was in deeper. Kurt always initiated the calls, Kurt always suggested the movies, Kurt always had to work around the boy’s busy schedule. It certainly didn’t help they were separated by miles, or that Kurt was fresh off of a crush to his now step brother. It also didn’t help that whenever anything went wrong, Kurt was the one who accepted the blame, even if it was completely out of his control.

He only just realized his fists had been clenched, and that Dave had been sending him a worried look. Slowly, he exhaled, noting that the whole point of this night was to force himself into a state of utter distraction.

“Alright,” he said, forcing himself to stand a little straighter. “Lead me on.”

Dave snorted at that, but continued moving. It wasn’t long until the two had made it to the back of the fairgrounds, where a few of the larger rides were. For the most part, they were so close together that they all looked like a singular tangled mess. Looking closer, Kurt could make out a few obvious ones; there was the typical drop ride, and a mini coaster, as well as the Gravitron, and some other obnoxious arm-based spin ride. However, easily distinguished from the rest was a giant, freestanding loop… the Dave was walking straight for.

“Oh, hell no,” he said, immediately stopping in his tracks. Dave had obviously expected it, and quickly put a hand on the small of Kurt’s back, continuing to push him along.

“Seriously, there is no way you’re putting me on that,” Kurt whined, trying to fight against the boy’s guidance. “I’m pretty sure people have won lawsuits over that thing, considering it’s made of tin foil with a handful of screws thrown at it. Maybe some scotch tape, if we‘re lucky.” They were nearing the line, and Kurt wasn’t sure if he was bursting with adrenaline or anxiety. Either way, he felt like he was going to pass out.

Dave stopped just before the line, and turned around, standing directly in front of Kurt. “You really going to chicken out?” he teased, crossing his arms. “I can just find some sixth grader to ride with. They don’t let you ride alone.”

Kurt squinted. “That makes it sound like you’ve only stalked me for the purpose of riding it.” When Dave just smiled, Kurt rolled his eyes. “Whatever, fine. At least that means there‘s witnesses to my murder.”

They made their way up the few steps, showing their wrists once again before being directed into seats. There weren’t that many other people on it, but Kurt considered the fact that half of those people were under twelve a good sign.

The seats were small and cramped, not helped at all by the cage surrounding the car. He could slip in with ease, sticking the bear between his legs, but as he turned to watch Dave enter beside, he couldn’t help but laugh. It’s not that the boy were massive, per say, but his height, broad shoulders, and fullness combined resulted in an interesting image.

“You look like Mr. Incredible,” Kurt chuckled, slipping his legs to the side to allow Dave more room. Though immediately, with the presence of the cage and the boy pressed next to him, Kurt began feeling a tad claustrophobic, and silently hoped the wait was no longer than the ride.

He watched as another pair of kids were guided on, looking no older than eight, wondering where on earth all the parents were. Craning his neck to see around Dave, he caught a glimpse of a few adults scattered about, fumbling with bags of prizes or bottles of soda. To Kurt’s delight, one of them was holding a bagged fish.

Kurt was about to mention it to Dave when the attendee suddenly closed the caged door, and gave it a shake check. Kurt gulped, and returned to face forward, sitting back in his seat. He was tempted to close his eyes, but managed to catch Dave looking at him. When Kurt caught his eye, Dave’s eyes widened comically, and he made a quick sign of the cross over his chest.

“Oh my god,” Kurt groaned, letting his head roll back. As he did, there was a sharp clicking noise as the ride grunted to a start. His head shot up, and his hands started searching for somewhere to hold, but none of the various bars were comfortable enough, so he settled for the top of the empty seat in front of them. Dave seemed to suddenly be having the same problem, and eventually laid a hand next to Kurt’s.

The ride, in theory, would be fun, if it wasn’t for Kurt’s very true statement earlier. He’d heard stories about it, and how once you were OFF the ride, you realized it was fun. While on it, however, the same horror stories are told where riders are constantly wondering how on earth a freestanding, continuous coaster loop was safe with nothing more than a base and a few wires. Kurt vividly remembered Rachel’s story, where she and his brother were locked in just as the ride attendant was commenting to another worker on the potential wind gusts they were expecting that night, and how he didn’t want to be on the shift where it tipped over.

It was a joke (Kurt had hoped), but it was a joke that rang heavily through his mind.

However, as the arcs grew, Kurt found himself in a hysterical fit of cursing and laughter, which was earning him a wide grin from his seat partner. At a point, the ride had slowed at the top of the loop, leaving them in a hang time for a good few moments and hanging from their seatbelts. As the car finally slipped back down, and they continued their seemingly endless run of loops, Kurt had barely been aware of how his and Dave’s hands were practically on top of each other.

When it finally came to a slow, only then did Kurt realize the closeness, and silently slipped his hand away. He glanced at Dave, briefly wondering if it was a heavy blush or the blood that had rushed to both of their heads that had their faces burning. Either way, they were let out of the car, and Kurt broke the silence before it even had a chance to settle.

“I think every digestive organ has been shoved into my throat,” he said, walking with caution as he threw his bear over his shoulder and attempted to recover from his loss of balance. “Maybe we should lay off the flipping for a few minutes.”  
Dave had nodded, and the two ended up mulling around for a bit, taking in the nighttime atmosphere. By the time Kurt had gotten bored of counting broken lights, and his worrying about Dave’s new vow of silence had begun to seriously burden him, he stretched audibly.

“Your ex is an idiot,” Dave said suddenly, causing Kurt to jerk his head in surprise. He stared at Dave with wide eyes, wondering where on earth that had come from. The boy looked clearly uneasy, but continued shuffling on, despite Kurt’s slowing. Kurt lengthened his strides, trying to catch up to him, unsure of how to respond to the comment. As his brain scavenged for words, he stared at his feet.

“I know” was all he could manage.

* * *

"I wonder if this is one of the ones where they drop the floor.”

"What?!" Kurt squeaked, looking over at Dave from where he was currently pressed against the wall. The two had quickly gotten back into the groove of things after their small fit of awkwardness, riding the small roller coaster twice before hopping onto the drop ride, followed by them discovering there were bumper cars across the park. Dave seemed adamant about returning to the back of the fair afterwards, so after giving the chair swings a quick stop, they had walked back, and took advantage of the nonexistent line for the Gravitron.

There was nobody inside but them and the control boy in the center, who looked generally uninterested in life. They had decided to take opposite sides, allowing them to actually move without kicking each other in the face. Unfortunately, it meant the boy in the middle was very much unintentionally involved in their conversations.

“It’s not,” the assistant said. He looked a few years older than the two of them, and obviously, sitting inside a spaceship for hours at a time was not on his list of personal achievements, judging by his tone. “They had one a few years back, but a bunch parents complained because their kids wouldn’t stop crying about it.”

Dave’s eyebrows raised in amusement, just before he flipped onto his stomach from where he was hanging horizontally against the wall. Kurt was tempted to try and crawl along the wall, but after Dave was told off for trying to stand on the wall earlier, he wasn’t necessarily sure he wanted to risk another strike. Unfortunately, he didn’t even have time to consider it fully, as they were given a warning to return to standing before the ride started slowing down.

“Party pooper,” Kurt frowned, positioning himself back down while Dave rolled back over, doing the same. He felt the forces holding him up lessen, and the wall panels began slipping back down into their original positions, bringing Kurt and Dave with them. When they were finally given the all clear, Kurt gave a friendly wave to the control man, who just stared at him blankly in return.

The two of them exited the ride, adjusting to actually standing on solid ground again. After retrieving his bear (which he’d almost left in a chair swing earlier) Kurt reached for his phone, checking at the time. Whatever time it was exactly didn’t stick with Kurt, as he’d seen it and simply decided it wasn’t that late. When he looked back up, Dave was checking his phone as well, before slipping it back into his own pocket. The two made eye contact, and Kurt gave him a small smile. Dave smiled back.

“Well,” Kurt said, surveying the carnival. It was significantly less crowded than when he’d arrived, and the only people left seem to be the groups of older kids, with a few sparse families looking like they were ready to head out. It was much quieter than before, and somehow, that seemed like more of a distraction to Kurt. He could hear individual things now-- singular laughs broke out, the occasional group scream from somewhere, and the few different songs playing from various rides and speakers. It had a weird sense of peace to it, combined with the scattered neon lights and lamp posts.

“Well,” Dave echoed, looking around the area. “I think they’re closing up. They’ll probably start kicking us out soon.” When he turned back to look at Kurt, Kurt frowned. “Pick one more, Diet Coke.”

Kurt took a moment to think about the fish he’d seen earlier, wondering if he wanted to drag Dave to where the boy had told him they were. Then again, whatever he chose would probably be the last thing they did, and Kurt wasn’t sure if he was going to waste it on a ten cent prize that he’d pay fifty times that trying to win.

Suddenly, he realized what his random cliché fair trip was missing. “The Ferris wheel.”

Dave rolled his eyes, which Kurt immediately glared at him for. “I can’t wait to end my night going slightly up, and then slightly down.” He began walking regardless, and Kurt moved to walk beside him.

“Where’s your inner desire to live every coming-of-age movie’s pivotal carnival scene?” he teased, leaning to bump Dave’s shoulder. The other boy just scoffed, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“Nonexistent, like the amount time I spent watching that crap.”

It was Kurt’s turn to make a disapproving noise. “You missed out then.”

The walk to the Ferris wheel wasn’t long, though as the neared the entrance, a few noisy stragglers were getting on, obviously having the same idea as Kurt. Slightly annoyed, he bit his lip as the walked up. The woman running it was watching the other group of loud, possibly very drunk riders as they came up to her. After sending the group up, she turned to the two of them. Kurt smiled sweetly, immediately seeing how tired the poor woman was.

To his luck, she gave him a relieved look. “I’ll circle them to the top,” she said, glancing back at to where the group were laughing loudly about halfway up. “Give you some room.”

“Thanks,” Dave chimed in softly, and she gave him a smile as well. When the full cars reached the top, the lady stopped it, to the dismay of the group. One of the girls leaned over the side, slurring something about why the ride had stopped. Rolling her eyes, the woman opened a carriage door, and held it opened for Kurt and Dave. They gave her another quick thank you before climbing in, settling on opposite sides, with Kurt clutching his bear in his lap.

Their door was closed behind them, and they were immediately moved along. From above, they could hear the group cheering and clapping. Dave chuckled, and sat back in his seat, looking off to the side.

Kurt followed his gaze, and was immediately left breathless. As they continued to rise, they could see more and more of the fair, which seemed so much larger now that they were in the air. The grounds were giving off a glow, the mix of colours blending into a solid white light. People were scattered scarcely bellow, and the further they rose, the smaller they got, becoming nothing but dark blurs, with the occasional splash of colour from a prize in hand. Rides were dimly outlined around them, looking more like works of art than hunks of metal. In the distance, lights from the city streets and homes twinkled like the few stars Kurt could make out in the sky above them.

He stayed motionless, watching in awe as the slowly made the arc over, before being lowered again. It was only then he turned to look at Dave. The boy was staring at him, looking just as much in awe as Kurt had felt. When Kurt caught his eyes, instead of looking away as he had been all not, he held Kurt’s gaze. His face was unreadable, but Kurt could see his mind working behind his eyes.

Frankly, Kurt couldn’t bring himself to look away. There was something familiar about the boy, and though they’d both made it clear that they had never met each other, Kurt couldn’t shake the feeling that they had some sort of connection. It was like they’d bumped into each other years ago in a crowd, or were in the hospital the same day and Kurt had heard his name, or some weird universal occurrence that maybe their paths had crossed in a way Kurt couldn’t even begin to imagine.

Either way, as Kurt turned away, hoping his flushed face was hidden well enough by the dim lighting of the ride, Kurt knew he had to keep this connection. Kurt wouldn’t let the memory fade.

So after their ride finished minutes later, and they had walked back to the row of various food and games booths, Kurt set down his plush and held out his unlocked phone. Dave looked at it, then Kurt, curiously for a moment, before coming to a realization. The boy quickly tapped onto it, then handed it back out to him, giving a crooked smile. Kurt grinned, studying it as he took it back.

“Karofsky, huh?” he said, opening a blank message to text his own name to the number. “I guess that makes up for your super basic first name.” He hit send on his text, and watched Dave reach for his phone as it lit up his pocket.

Once the boy opened it, he let out a laugh. “Well thanks, ‘Kurt Hummel, Ride Buddy’.” Dave looked back up at him, and Kurt couldn’t help but laugh as well. "Pleasure meeting you." The other boy held out his hand, and Kurt put a mock-serious look on his face as he reached out to shake it. 

“And you, too. Thank you for not murdering me," Kurt said, and gave a tight nod, but nearly broke into another grin as Dave copied his stern expression. 

The two of them stood still for a moment as people passed, leaving to their cars. Kurt let out a breath, and bent to pick up his bear from his feet, clutching it to his chest.

He ended up leaving without another word, and despite all the silences and awkward moments they had that night, or the utter desire to have that night continue in general, Kurt was okay with it. Because for whatever reason, Kurt knew he would speak to the ticket boy again. Because the day, as horrible and awful it had been at first as Kurt reflected on it later that night, had lead him to that fair, to that boy, to that breathtaking view. And whatever it was that lead him tonight, he believed in it.


End file.
